Rams aim for another postseason run,

Following last year’s trip to the Class 5A state tournament semifinals, the Lakeside volleyball team looks to compete in another successful season behind the leadership of head coach Rhonda Thigpen.

The Rams (6-2, 5-0 5A-South) graduated five seniors from last year’s postseason run, so Lakeside has had to rebuild with a plethora of young players.

So far, the rebuild has gone well.

“We have a lot of youth, a lot of young girls playing this year,” Thigpen said. “I think that, you know they love to play this game for the seniors, juniors, sophomores, they love to play this game here, and so now that we’re in conference they have a new passion for it.”

During the start of the season, Lakeside had to work on building chemistry on the court, but Thigpen said the team is getting used to each other and getting strong.

Sophomores Madi Belle Landry and Aubrey Judd start for varsity, while sophomores like Lauren Foreman, Audrey Divers, Olivia Godwin and Charlotte Colgrove also get playing time.

“These are a lot of sophomores that are having to step up and play, and I think that this is going to make them better in the long run,” Thigpen said. “I’m proud of them for that.”

Juniors who have state tournament experience like Carsen Cordell, Kate Foreman, Paige Woods and Kaitlyn Threadgill also add good experience to the team.

Lakeside’s two seniors, Vivien Mardis and Sarah Porter, bring much needed experience to the squad. Both Mardis and Porter understand what it takes to get to the state tournament’s final four.

“You know that’s very valuable, that you can have someone that says, ‘This is what it was like, here’s what we did,’” Thigpen said. “I think having girls that have been there, got that taste of it, they want to go back.”

During last season’s run, Lakeside took its freshmen to watch the state tournament, so they could watch what it was like to play at such a high level.

“That was a big plus because it made them see, ‘Here’s what I want you to be like when you’re a senior. You know, this is why we work so hard,’” Thigpen said.

One factor in the Rams’ success is that Thigpen constantly applies her guiding principle to the Lakeside program for her players to follow in all aspects of their game.

Mental Toughness, Extra Effort, or MTXE, is not just a motto for the Rams but a part of the team’s brand.

When Thigpen started out as a volleyball and basketball coach, she attended coaching clinics to learn from as many different people as she could. She learned about MTXE at one of those clinics, and it really resonated with her.

“Everybody on the volleyball court is going to expect to be the best player, but work harder,” Thigpen said. “Work harder mentally, physically. When I recruited in college, I would tell recruits, and I still feel it to this day, is MTXE is not just court. MTXE is academically, athletically, socially and even spiritually. Challenge yourself as a young lady in those areas of your life, and you will be successful because you’re going to get a little more edge.”

Thigpen’s MTXE brand applies just as much off the court as it does on the court. The American Volleyball Coaches Association recently awarded the team with an academic achievement award for the second straight year.

While there’s a tradition of winning surrounding the Lakeside volleyball program, Thigpen’s team has also started a tradition of academic achievement and representing the school off the court.

“That’s big on them to be a student athlete,” Thigpen said. “So what word comes first is student, student-athlete. And so as they go through life, you know you’re gonna be proud of your athletic awards but you have to be a student all that time. All that time you were going to school and studying extra and going to games and studying after proved you were a student-athlete.”

Back on the court and despite a great 2020 season, Thigpen told her players not to assume they’re going to the state tournament again or to assume they will be conference champions.

“Those are things you’ve got to make your mark, just like the team last year did,” Thigpen said. “You got to rebuild, reload and refocus, and I think they’re doing a good job of that right now. I was very proud of them at Sheridan. Very proud that they focused and pushed through because you know they were giving us a run for our money, and so was Lake Hamilton.”

Playing in the 5A-South, Lakeside competes in natural, local conference rivalries with Lake Hamilton and Hot Springs. Thigpen said it’s fun playing those local conference rivals and she added those teams are tough competitors with weapons as well.

“This is a great city of volleyball,” Thigpen said.

With the conference season in full swing, Lakeside looks to make another great run.

“Rams MTXE is an expectation to let’s not just think about winning the conference, let’s go win the conference,” Thigpen said. “Let’s not just think about getting to state, let’s advance in state. I’m excited.”

The Rams travel to Pulaski Academy tonight at 4 p.m. for a non-conference game before making the short trip to Trojan Arena for a conference matchup with Hot Springs Thursday at 4:30 p.m.